


Raise a Glass

by CoachMegleg



Series: We Choose Our Own Destiny [2]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Drinking, Enforcer-3, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, In Memory of Cayde-6 (Destiny), Maevaris, Male-Female Friendship, Mentioned Cayde-6 (Destiny), Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Game: Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC, The Tower (Destiny)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:22:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24139573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoachMegleg/pseuds/CoachMegleg
Summary: Maevaris leaves the warmth and support of her friends to suffer in silence. A close friend seeks her out. (Destiny 2 Forsaken Spoilers)
Series: We Choose Our Own Destiny [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1741978
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Raise a Glass

**Author's Note:**

> (takes place after "something better than these broken parts")

Returning to the hangar was more difficult than expected. She had rarely ventured down into this section of the Tower without a clear destination in mind, having either tried (and failed) to impress Amanda with a new sparrow she acquired, or to see…him. It had been a weekly ritual of theirs, to meet in the hangar and talk about the latest quest she’d been on or the newest piece of loot she’d found from one of his many scattered chests. That moment of calm, of simple comradery with an old friend, meant more to her now than ever before. 

Maevaris wasn’t normally one to drink, but today was an exception. In a tucked away room overlooking the hangar, the haggard Warlock sat, nursing a bottle of indistinguishable alcohol in her hands. The taste felt ashen on her tongue, but she couldn’t stop herself from pouring another shot; it’s not like she could get drunk off it anyway. 

“I had a feeling I would find you here,” a voice from the edge of the room startled Maevaris from her thoughts, forcing her to look up as the large, Exo Titan made his way into the sad sanctuary she had built for herself. Enforcer-3. She should’ve known he’d find her eventually. As the unanimously voted leader of the Iron Fam, Enforcer was what kept their rag-tag group of Guardians together. Their clan was strengthened by his unwavering support and dedication, and his quick wit and solid tactics is what made them one of the most well-respected Clans in the Tower. It came as no surprise that, even off the battlefield, Enforcer would still be looking out for her. Even though she loved and cared for everyone in her found-family, Enforcer held a special place in her heart. He was the one who brought her into the fold, gave her a place to call home; he had given her a family, and for that she was forever in his debt. 

“Am I really that predictable?” She said humorlessly, patting the seat beside her as she poured herself another drink. The normally loud and boisterous Titan seemed to hesitate a moment before accepting the offer and sitting beside her, watching as she drank.

“You’re not one to hide yourself away, Maevaris,” Enforcer remarked, “The others have been worried ever since you returned from the Reef.” The Reef. If Mae never again saw that miserable place, she’d be a happy woman. With an unhappy scowl, she drained the rest of her shot before pouring herself another with a grumbled “I’m fine”. Enforcer only hummed softly in acknowledgment, not attempting to keep her from her drink. 

They sat in comfortable silence as they watched over the work in the hangar. Even though the loss of the Hunter vanguard felt like a gaping wound in all their chests, they could not stop their lives to grieve. Guardians still went on patrols, the workers of the tower still went about their jobs- life had to keep moving forward.  
“Do you remember what I told you when Johnny disappeared?” Enforcer’s voice broke the peaceful silence that had settled over them, and with a furrowed brow, Maevaris looked towards him, forgetting her drink. Johnny was a topic they didn’t discuss often, since the wayward member of their little clan had disappeared months before the Red Legion’s attack on the city. He had simply vanished, and no one could find a trace of him. 

“Didn’t you just remind me of the time he and I had a three-hour long argument over politics?” She asked in all seriousness, startling a laugh out of the Exo. 

“Well, yes! I meant, other than that.” He chuckled, placing a comforting hand upon her shoulder. Maevaris couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory of her and Johnny chasing each other around the Reef as Enforcer cackled with laughter in the background (before- when the Reef had been a sanctuary for the Awoken Warlock, before it had been tainted forever by Uldren). That time felt so very long ago, now. She couldn’t even remember the sound of Johnny’s voice, he had been gone for so long. She was pulled once more from her thoughts as Enforcer began to speak again. “We have both seen our fair share of battles, Maevaris. You and I both know that friends, no matter how hard we grasp onto them, sometimes just…leave. They either disappear, like Johnny, or they’re taken from us.”

“But they’re never really gone,” she found herself finishing his thought for him, earning a reassuring squeeze of her shoulder. 

“They’re never truly gone, since they’ll always be with us. In here,” He tapped against his signature red and gold helmet, “All we can do know is honor their memory. Hiding away like this, it’s not what Cayde would want us to do.” 

He was right, no matter how much Maevaris wished to prove him wrong. While Johnny, and by extension, Cayde-6, may not be there physically, they continued to live on through her memories of them. Cayde may no longer be able to sit beside her at the ramen shop, swapping stories of close calls and shoot outs, nor would he be waiting for her in the hangar to hear her talk about her adventures. He would still be with her, even though she was sure the exo hunter would’ve teased her relentlessly for being so emotional. Her memories were one of the most precious things she had left, after the collapse. No Fallen Baron or Awoken prince could take her memories from her. 

Without realizing it, tears stung her eyes, and she quickly rubbed the palm of her hand against them to stop the inevitable onslaught of tears. Enforcer pulled her in close, wrapping a protective arm across her shoulders. “You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Mae,” He murmured, using his free hand to push the nearly empty bottle away from her as she tried to stop the tears, “there is no need to hide yourself away in times of need. You do not have to grieve alone, my friend. Come, our family is waiting for us.” 

Through blurred eyes, she looked up to see the familiar faces of her clan-mates poking their heads into the small sequestered room. Vadim-5, Leon Sol, Dip, Lilly, Silva, and the others were waiting for her, ready to offer comfort in her time of need. Normally, this had been the other way around, with Maevaris being strong for her family, offering them support and a shoulder to cry on. Now they, along with Enforcer, would support her for a little while. Laughing through choked tears, Mae rubbed at her flushed cheeks. She could not have wished for a better family- even if they were a bunch of rag-tag misfits. They were her family, and she wouldn’t have traded any of them for the world. 

“Thank you,” she choked out, and immediately found herself in the middle of multiple warm embraces, and for the first time since she had returned to the Tower, she no longer felt hollow. The shaking of her hands would never quite go away, nor would the pain of losing a friend- but she knew she would never have to be alone again. The Iron Fam’s unwavering support, no matter what, would see her through even the darkest of days.

**Author's Note:**

> OC Character mentions: Johnny, Vadim-5, Leon Sol, Dip, Lilly, Silva belong to members of my IRL clan, The Iron Fam 
> 
> Enforcer-3 belongs to @Scrublord4200 (please go check out his work, he also streams of Mixer *coughcough*!) 
> 
> The last line of the fic comes from our Destiny 2 Clan description: "unwavering support, no matter what" 
> 
> Please let me know what you think! :) Thank you for reading!


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